Skandinavia

[Mikkel]

Every Maundy Thursday, one of the most stranges tradition happens here. Or to be more accurate, in Sweden. This day is a holliday in Norway, so everything is closed here. But it’s a regular day in Sweden.

So this day, hundreds of Norwegian «rånere» goes to Strömstad to party in their cars. They drive just around and around the city, in the worst queue ever. Drinking, shouting, playing loud music and sometimes just being a pain in the but for the police... The «Systembolaget» (that sells alcohol), close up for this day. Just because of the Norwegians.

 

[Second Summer]

After two weeks of fruitless searches, when his Norwegian owners gave up all hope, Pus the Cat surfaced in Iceland, in a stunning re-enactment of a Viking-era journey inside a container.

More: Cat on the Run: Adventurous Feline Missing in Norway Found in Iceland

 

[Mikkel]

This is the police in Norway!

Dancing Policeman in Norway Goes Viral - The Nordic Page

 

[Second Summer]

Swedish Royal Crowns stolen from Cathedral - reported in two articles in TheLocal:

The two thieves launched their operation at around lunchtime on Tuesday, and two men were seen jumping into a motorboat that sat moored in the lake adjacent to the church before making their escape. Police searched for them by both water and air with no result.

More: Thieves steal 1600s Swedish royal crowns from cathedral (1. Aug. 2018)
Also: International hunt on for stolen Swedish royal crowns (1. Aug. 2018)

I read elsewhere that the first part of the thieves' escape was made on ladies' bicycles.

 

[Amy SF]

Swedish Royal Crowns stolen from Cathedral - reported in two articles in TheLocal:

More: Thieves steal 1600s Swedish royal crowns from cathedral (1. Aug. 2018)
Also: International hunt on for stolen Swedish royal crowns (1. Aug. 2018)

I read elsewhere that the first part of the thieves' escape was made on ladies' bicycles.

DAMN I need to see the movie version of this.

Please tell me someone is going to make a movie out of this.

 

[Second Summer]

Not sure how realistic this is, but ...

A significant proportion of Swedes and Danes would prefer to be part of a 'Nordic union' between Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland rather than the European Union, a new poll shows.

More: Almost half of Swedes and Danes would prefer Nordic union to EU: poll (27. July 2018)

 

[Second Summer]

Saucy scandal in Norwegian politics: the deputy leader of the "Progress" (i.e. Backwards) Party finally had to resign due to his relationship with a 30 years younger former "Miss Iran" and their undeclared vacation to Iran where he brought his official work phone, which the national intelligence agencies now fear may have been hacked by Iranian intelligence. Sometimes reality > fiction!
Progress deputy steps down over Iran scandal
Also now reported by BBC News:
Holiday with ex-beauty queen costs Norway minister his job

 

[Brian W]

That is how we write it in Norwegian

I thought it would be interesting to have a list of decent online newspapers and other web sites in the Scandinavian languages, and English-language versions of those publications if they exist.

I'll start off with some Norwegian ones:

• NRK (The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation): Good quality journalism, nice web site, comparable to the BBC.
• Aftenposten (A newspaper with focus on Oslo): Overall good quality journalism, but a bit conservative, Oslo-chauvinist and the outlook seems very middle/upper class.
• Dagbladet (A national newspaper): More liberal, but also extremely tabloid. Has nice pictures and quick to publish the latest news stories.
• theforeigner.no - A publication that provides Norwegian news in English

Haven't looked through the thread fully yet so I don't know if you have this one. I'll try and add more as I find them.

• The Local - Swedish news in English.
  
• Radio Sweden - Swedish news radio station in English

 

[Second Summer]

The fear of making 'bathroom sounds' has become a costly problem. Recently a bathroom in a mall was flooded, resulting in damages costing millions of NOK.

Now the mall manager thinks he has a solution:
Kjøpesenter lover musikk på do for å overdøve tisselyder (Norwegian)

They will install speakers and play loud music to mask the bathroom sounds. Local girls are reportedly happy with this idea.

 

[Amy SF]

Girl pulls 1,500-year-old sword from lake

 

[Val]

Girl pulls 1,500-year-old sword from lake

Yeah, i saw it on our local news too!

 

[Second Summer]

More exciting archeology news!
Viking ship burial discovered in Norway just 50cm underground (15. Oct. 2018)

 

[MadamSarcastra]

More exciting archeology news!
Viking ship burial discovered in Norway just 50cm underground (15. Oct. 2018)

COOOOL!!

 

[Second Summer]

Police was called to the scene just south of Trondheim, Norway, where a car had run off the road. The driver then stole a combine harvester, and the police was only able to arrest him through use of pepper spray.

Full story in Norwegian: Sjåfør kjørte av veien - stakk fra stedet i stjålen skurtreske (21. Oct. 2018)

 

[Second Summer]

According to quick journalistic research by a person who works for the Norwegian State Broadcaster, the news story that most enraged/annoyed/engaged viewers in 2018 was ... drumroll ... One about vegans! Vegans and veganising children's songs. Many children's songs are obviously indoctrinating the children that the animals' eggs, milk, flesh, skin, wool, hair etc are fine and natural for humans to take, but IIRC the story mis-attributed one of the vegans as saying the songs all had to be forcibly scrapped or re-worded to be in line with vegan sensibilities. Hence the uproar. In reality they had only suggested a couple of 'vegan' versions.

 

[Second Summer]

Sweden might finally get a permanent government on Friday after the previous government lead by the Social Democrats lost its support in parliament following the election on 9. Sept. last year, and Swedish politics was plunged into a deadlock where no block had a majority:

LIVE: Stefan Löfven set to be Swedish PM after Left Party gives go-ahead (16. Jan. 2019)

Edit: It does sound quite fragile, though! Hopefully, everyone involved realise what's at stake and the need to compromise and work together ...

 

[Second Summer]

Swedish Royal Crowns stolen from Cathedral - reported in two articles in TheLocal:

More: Thieves steal 1600s Swedish royal crowns from cathedral (1. Aug. 2018)
Also: International hunt on for stolen Swedish royal crowns (1. Aug. 2018)

I read elsewhere that the first part of the thieves' escape was made on ladies' bicycles.

I just read that they have been recovered! They were found by a private security guard during the night in a garbage bin - his suspicion was drawn to the bin because someone had written the word "bomb" on it ...

 

[Mikkel]

A good film about being Norwegian.

 

[Second Summer]

A good film about being Norwegian.

I can confirm that this is exactly what it's like!

 

[Mikkel]

Our minister of justice have had several attacks at his house. People have been tagging "racist", tried to put his car on fire, put his trash can on fire and the other day, they successfully lit his car on fire.

Today his wife was arrested, suspected to be behind at least the last car fire...